Mary Beth Millar, a sophomore majoring in Worship Arts and minoring in Performance, will release her second song, “tell me something beautiful,” on Wednesday, Sept. 14th at 9pm PST.
TELL ME SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
With about a year and a half since her last release, Millar went into her makeshift studio — consisting of a small desk, big speakers, her mic and a MacBook — with her brother-in-law to record her newest single. Knowing that she wanted to create a cohesive sound as an artist, Millar planned to incorporate elements of things she had never done before. Working with family from home in Washington, Millar expressed the positive sentiment of working with her brother-in-law in a professional space that promoted a creative environment.
Both upbeat songs maintain a cohesive indie-pop vibe but convey different messages. While “search party” is about finding a part of oneself that is left behind, Millar’s new song, “tell me something beautiful”, is about falling in love with someone’s mind and wanting to get to know them. These two tracks explored contrasting ideas in her writing — looking for a part of herself that she lost and wanting to know the deepest parts of somebody that she loves.
UPBRINGING
At just 10 years old, Millar started her music journey with a passion for song writing. She recalls writing in her room on piano and guitar dreaming of becoming like her mother and older sister. In a family full of musicians, Millar’s face lights up as she talks about the joys of sharing music with her family and friends.
Throughout high school, Millar seriously considered singing and decided to join a writing group at her church where she eventually released an EP her senior year of high school. She found that throughout the process her admiration for music and leading worship grew, which drove her to follow in the footsteps of her three older siblings and study at Biola University.
While Millar’s main music mentor is her mother, she finds inspiration from all types of music, which is evident in the songs she produces. With heavy influences of indie pop, she draws inspiration from powerful female artists such as Lizzy McAlpine, Taylor Swift and Matilda Mann.
“I love listening to new things and finding something new to create to inspire me,” Millar said.
SONG WRITING
Writing songs, an impressive feat, requires incredible vulnerability, a skill which not everyone can master. However, Millar skillfully and creatively crafts her lyrics to draw in her audience. Whether writing about personal experiences or fictional stories, Millar compares song writing to writing a narrative in a book.
While both songs that Millar released are based on personal experience, she hopes to explore more creative endeavors and complexities within songwriting. She believes that although she may not personally encounter specific experiences that her songs describe, her audience may relate to them and find comfort in what she sings.
“That’s the beauty of songwriting. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been through this certain thing — you can still be creative and write about it. You can reach people in a new way even when it’s not necessarily your story,” Millar said.
SEARCH PARTY
Millar released her first song in Jan. 2021 titled “search party” which is about finding a part of herself that is left behind with somebody. She greatly appreciates all the support that she received on her first single from friends and family back home, as well as connections from Biola. Millar described it as though the song had been re-released when she arrived at Biola as new people discovered her music and began promoting it.
Millar said, “It’s super awesome that we can all support each other and it’s amazing to be able to [make music] in such a great community that is uplifting and supportive.”
Millar commented on the surreal nature of people listening to her song and hearing her voice on Spotify. Millar explains that being able to put her heart into something and seeing people love it and react to it validates her the most as a songwriter.
Millar has much more to come in her next few years at Biola as she pursues songwriting. For now, she is looking forward to feedback on her latest piece.
“I’m excited for people to hear ‘tell me something beautiful’ and I do not know what anyone is expecting, but I am just excited to see people’s reactions,” Millar said.
